Words ... good, bad and ugly

Forbidden words

When writing, use specific words and terms. Consider the following words and terms forbidden (these are only a few of the many overused, yet weak, terms). They
tell a reader — including your customers or clients — nothing, except that your vocabulary is limited.

BreathtakingDazzlingFabulous

State-of-the-artStrikingStunning

You don’t want to alienate customers or clients, so keep the words you use in your company’s memos, pamphlets, advertising, etc. simple. Below are some bad — and
good — words.

Bad Good

airlifted
flown

ameliorate
improve

approximately
about

commence
begin, start

conundrum
dilemma

copious or numerous many

docent
guide

due to the fact that because

enumerate
list

erroneous
wrong

finalize
finish, complete

prioritize
rank (as in a list)

pragmatic
practical

purchase
buy

spearheaded
led

ubiquitous
common

utilize
use

viable
option
choice

Ugly words and their replacements

Of course, you should never use terms such as “messed up” or “goofed up” (as in “made a mistake”), “went missing” (as in “disappeared”), “diss”
(as in “criticize”), “haggle” (as in “negotiate”), “hassle” (as in “bother”) or “pushy” (as in “assertive”).